Contracted by IDRC to participate in a study to assess the SME/PSD policy and research contexts in the MENA region.  The study is conducted in Algeria, Jordan, Morocco, Syria, Yemen, and Tunisia or Turkey with the aim of identifying opportunities for SME and Private Sector development policy and research capacity support through a regional intervention.  Assessment covers government entities, key donor organizations, research community and other relevant stakeholder groups in the selected countries to identify institutional readiness and existing state of SME/PSD interventions, as well as cross-country comparisons to identify commonalities where a regional focus would be beneficial.  Scope of work also includes the development of concrete options and recommendations for a regional SME/PSD policy initiative, in addition to identifying potential donor partners for this effort.

ENTRUST was selected to coordinate a participatory effort involving key stakeholders and policy makers to develop an action plan to enhance the competitiveness of the small and medium enterprise sector.  The process was guided by ENTRUST’S earlier work in developing a general policy framework to enhance SME competitiveness in the twenty-first century.  Through bringing together groups of experts, SME representatives, pertinent senior government officials and donor representatives, ENTRUST facilitated and informed the development of action plans in the areas of business development services, cluster development, innovation and technology, financial services, export promotion, legal and regulatory reform, foreign direct investment as well as networking and inter-firm linkages.  The action plan was endorsed by two successive Egyptian Prime Ministers who wrote introductory notes for the policy document developed by ENTRUST. 

ENTRUST fielded a multidisciplinary team to develop and draft a general policy framework for SME Development in Egypt, under the theme "Enhancing the Competitiveness of Egyptian SMEs in the 21st Century".  The policy framework addressed cluster development, innovation and technology, financial services, business development services, export promotion, legal and regulatory reform, foreign direct investment as well as networking and inter-firm linkages.  The framework was endorsed by two successive Prime Ministers of Egypt to provide an overarching frame of reference against which development and policy initiatives are to be designed and monitored.  Work involved secondary research and statistical analysis, the integration of the results of participatory qualitative research and international best practices, as well as managing a consultative process with all stakeholders to refine, finalize and facilitate the adoption of the policy framework.

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Developed training objectives, curricula and provided training to MOFT employees on the relationship between SMEs and the macro-environment.  ENTRUST was particularly responsible for the sessions and material on the general policy framework as well as the institutional setup.

Under a subcontract with Rada Research & Public Relations, ENTRUST provided advice regarding the technical issues and the target groups to be addressed by the first public awareness campaign on SME development policies in Egypt.